Principal's Weekly Update
Volume 2 Issue 26: February 7, 2021
Message from Mrs. Aulmer
A survey was sent out to families from the Central Office last week. The email is in the next section below. If you have not already completed the survey, please do so by 9 am Monday morning. For those families that have already completed the survey, Thank You for your feedback.
This week is a virtual spirit week for us. Please see the flyer below. We look forward to seeing your scholar(s) participate in this spirit week.
Progress report went home last Friday. Any assignments on the progress report that have not been turned in yet will be accepted through Friday of this week. Teachers will be communicating the final time on Friday that assignments will be accepted. If you have questions on assignments, please reach out to the teacher.
Monday, February 15th is an Asynchronous Learning Day. This means that there will not be any live ZOOM sessions. Teachers will have assignments posted by 9 am in Schoology. In order for students to be marked present for this day, they must complete the assignments.
Our School Board Meeting that was scheduled for last Thursday is now re-scheduled for this Wednesday at 6:30 pm.
We are now accepting applications for K-11th grade for next school year. If you have any family or friends who are interested in attending Queen City STEM School for next year, please ask them to visit our website at queencitystem.org and apply for our lottery. Our lottery will be held on February 15, 2021.
Thank you for your continued partnership with QCSS as we work to make this a successful year for all of our scholars! I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy.
Remote or In-Person?
Dear TMSA and QCSS Families,
TMSA Public Charter Schools recognize the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our community. It is uncharted territory for all of us. We are learning to be flexible and adapt to the evolving changes on a daily basis while ensuring that our students continue to receive the best education.
We are currently all remote learning for all grade levels until further notice. Remote learning is far from ideal, but it is the safest plan right now. We take great pride in our synchronous remote instruction model, and we do our best to refine it further in line with our students’ academic, social, and emotional needs.
We are more aware that soliciting feedback from our community is vital, both in evaluating your experience with TMSA’s remote instruction and helping us plan for the upcoming weeks within the parameters of state requirements.
With this survey, we will ask you an important question: would you prefer in-person instruction to resume at our campuses, or would you prefer to continue with remote instruction? The survey will ask for your student’s name, grade, and school. Please note this is solely for planning purposes.
Please complete one survey per child at TMSA Public Charter Schools by Monday, February 8, 2021, at 9:00 AM. All responses to the survey will be confidential, and only summary data will be shared once the survey is completed.
We want to remind you that families will have the choice of remote learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, no matter the circumstances.
Thanks for your ongoing support and your participation in this survey – your voice is invaluable to us. We will strive to continue providing a safe and top-notch learning and teaching environment for our community.
TMSA Central Office
Do you need help paying your heating bill?
Accreditation
Please see the Readiness Report for Accreditation below. We will keep everyone updated as we progress through this process.
Lion in the Spotlight
This week we are highlighting Ms. Ryan (Kindergarten teacher), Ms. Bynum (3rd grade teacher), Coach Collins (PE Teacher).
School Counseling Schoology Groups
Our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Bagley, has created Schoology groups for our students to help students receive resources during virtual learning. The groups include Social and Emotional Learning activities, character education lessons, and much more!
If your scholar is interested in joining the groups, please have them use the access codes below to join.
The group access codes:
K-2 School Counseling Group: 3K54-K6KH-X746P
3-5 School Counseling Group: NQGT-WNHG-NVVX7
Shout Out a Staff Member
If you have a teacher or staff member that you would like to "Shout Out" or "Brag" on, please go to the the link below and give them a shout out. The little words do go a long way! Thanks.
What's Happening at QCSS?
February 8th- 12th: Virtual Spirit Week (see flyer below)
Wednesday, February 10th: Board Meeting at 6:30 pm
Friday, February 12th: Last day to submit any missing assignments that were due from January 5th- February 5th. Please check in with your teacher(s) if you have questions.
Monday, February 15th: Asynchronous Learning Day (no live ZOOM sessions, assignments posted by 9 am, work must be completed in order to be marked present for the day).
Monday, February 15th: Lottery Day!
Tuesday, February 16th: Virtual Parent Academy at 6 pm on Mental Health (See Flyer Below)
Remote Instruction Schedules
Please follow the schedule below for your scholar's grade level. Students' daily schedules will be from 9 am until 2 pm. There will be a time for students to complete assignments for their specials areas teachers, a lunch break, and time for homework/physical activity/ and or one-on-one time with their teacher(s).
FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) What are the phone numbers for the campuses?
Elementary Campus: 980-299-6633
Secondary Campus: 980-321-7744
2) Who do I contact if I need my Powerschool login information and/or to update my contact information?
Ms. Williams – jwilliams@queencitystem.org
3) Who do I contact if I need my student google login information?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
4) I need a chromebook, who do I contact?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
5) My chromebook isn’t working/battery is low, what do I do?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
6) I’d like to talk with a school counselor. Who can I reach out to?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
7) Are there any resources for parents to help with remote learning?
https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/remote-learning-resources/home/parent-resources?authuser=0
8) My scholar has an IEP who can I speak with?
Ms. Robinson: hrobinson@queencitystem.org
9) My scholar has a 504, who can I speak with?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
10) Can we use a tablet for virtual instruction?
As long as you are able to access ZOOM, Schoology, and any other platform the teacher will be using.
11) Will speech therapy or occupational therapy be remote as well?
Yes, the service provider for speech and OT will be reaching out to families soon. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Robinson.
12) Will tutoring be offered?
Yes, please reach out to your scholar(s) teacher(s) to discuss options
13) How does my scholar access Schoology?
You must use the following website: queencitystem.schoology.com
-If you received a chromebook from the school, your scholar will be logged in when they enter the website above.
-If you are using a personal device, then you will need to make sure you are logged in with your QCSS Google information.
-Codes are not needed to access classes in Schoology. All class schedules are pulled from PowerSchool.
Video to show you how to login.
14) When I log in to Powerschool I see my student's grades from last year, how do I see this year's grades?
If you are using the app you may need to log out completely and sign back in to refresh the data.
15) My scholar attends the secondary campus who is the principal?
Mr. Alkan is the principal for the secondary school. You can reach him at malkan@queencitystem.org
16) My elementary scholar has four (4) special area classes assigned to them. How do I know what class to tell them to attend daily?
This is up to you and your child. The scholar must complete one (1) assignment per class each week. We suggest that you make a schedule together and stick to that schedule. An example is: Monday- music, Tuesday- Art, Wednesday- PE, Thursday- STEM Class.
Remember that your first point of contact should be your scholar's teacher(s). If you have questions about navigating platforms, assignments, or grades, please reach out to the teacher via email. Also, please utilize the school's website for distance learning information. queencitystem.org
Board Meetings
-Wednesday, February 10, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, March 4, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, April 1, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, May 6, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, June 3, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
Box Tops for Education
THE NEXT GENERATION OF BOX TOPS IS HERE.
Box Tops is changing to fit today's families. The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school's earnings online.
Please download the Box Tops for Education App from your App store, sign up, connect with QCSS and begin earning money for the school.
About Us
Email: info@queencitystem.org
Website: www.queencitystem.org
Location: 8701 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone: (980)299-6633
Facebook: facebook.com/queencitystemschool
Twitter: @twitter_QueenCitySTEM